Supporters see major changes as protecting against fraud.

With a fast-approaching presidential election expected to bring more than 8.5 million Floridians to the polls, the Legislature is battling over sweeping changes to nearly every aspect of state election law.

Supporters tout the changes as fighting fraud. Opponents say they are disenfranchising. And the people charged with counting ballots wonder why lawmakers are trying to reinvent the wheel in the first place.

Among the changes proposed are shortening the early-voting period for each election from 14 to six days and forcing groups that conduct voter-registration drives to provide the state with more information, in less time, and electronically.

But the biggest rewrite scraps the four-decade-old law allowing address changes at the polls. Voters wanting to do so on election day would have to fill out a provisional ballot, generally used by more mobile populations and which require officials to research voter eligibility.

During the 2008 presidential election, 48 percent of the 35,635 provisional ballots cast statewide were rejected, leading opponents to cast the proposed changes as targeting groups like college students and low-income populations.

"I'm going to call this bill for what it is, good old-fashioned voter suppression," said Ben Wilcox with the League of Women Voters.

House sponsor Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, said that it's about ensuring the "integrity" of the system.

"The amount of provisional ballots that get thrown out is just a testament to the fact we are finding out they were not eligible," he said.

After supervisors of elections complained they would have to certify more provisional ballots without additional resources, the House amended its bill to allow people moving within a county to change their address at polls. The Senate has kept the tougher language.

Based on 2008 numbers, nearly 34,000 more voters could be required to fill out provisional ballots under the House measure - but that would jump to about 332,000 additional provisional ballots under the Senate bill. That could lead to longer wait times for ballot-counting and, presumably, for elections to be certified by the three-person panels tasked with certifying provisional ballots.

"We would have to do a lot more with the same resources," Duval County Supervisor Jerry Holland said.

Clay County Supervisor Chris Chambliss said because there is already a statewide voter database, the proposal baffles him.

"Sometimes I'm left wondering what the motivating force is behind these changes," he said.

Both bills would also target groups organizing voter registration drives, forcing them to electronically register additional information with the state, and to submit any new paperwork to the state in two days instead of the current 10.

"Your definition includes Boy Scouts, nurses, teachers, Sunday school teachers ... all of these people under this law would have to file in electronic format before they could do these voter registration projects," said Leon County Supervisor Ion Sancho, who opposed the bill during Senate testimony.

He said because groups would have to give more information to the state, like names and addresses, fewer may want to hold registration drives, an important act moving into a presidential election year.

During a hearing on the bill, Senate sponsor Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, R-Miami, said the change would "empower" voters to "make sure they are not taken advantage of by third-party groups."

"They are not all Boy Scouts," said Diaz de la Portilla, who did not return requests seeking comment.

Supervisors have also universally slammed a change in the Senate bill that shortens the early-voting period from 14 to six days because they said it would increase lines at the polls. Diaz de la Portilla said many early voters already use absentee ballots, and that it is expensive because polling places need to stay open despite few voting in the first week.

"This change is simply not the kind of provision that reflects honorably on this body," Sancho said.

Early voting hit a state record in the 2008 presidential election, 32 percent. In Duval County, 44 percent of voters cast early ballots - 71,000 in the first seven days, and 112,000 the second.

Diaz de la Portilla was unhappy that some senators voted against the bill based on the early voting provision.

"To pick one particular section of a 140-page bill and try to color the entire bill is really unfair," he said.

Baxley said that the issue will work itself out in negotiations, but gave no hint as to whether he would be willing to adopt the early voting language. His bill has been passed by the full House. The Senate's version has one more committee stop.

Other goodies tucked into the proposals deal more in politics than elections.

For instance, they would both repeal a law that permits only the chairman of a political party to remove a party official from office. Baxley said he put it in the bill after members of the Republican Executive Committee approached him about the issue.

"That has been a sore spot," Baxley said.

The House bill would also exempt advertisements and tickets for political fundraisers from a law that requires, among other things, they be labeled with "paid political advertisements."

Candidates could also say someone endorses them without written approval and wouldn't have to list who is funding the ad if it is not the event's sponsor.

Baxley's bill would also permit candidates to give unlimited surplus campaign contributions to their political party.

Both bills would allow candidates to spend $10,000 on polling before actually declaring their candidacy, and the House bill was amended to include a proposal to create a committee to decide when Florida should hold its presidential preference primary.

Something that must be dealt with severity is non-citizens voting in elections. This came to light through ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) which was registering anybody, specially aimed at low income people. Now under investigation by 14 States for illegal activities in the voting procedures is now extinct; or is it? Various States are enacting laws to halt this enigma, by asking voters for several forms of photo ID cards or equivalent documents. All citizens should communicate with their federal, State representative Senate—202-224–3121/ House—202-225–3121and demand more secure practices for absentee ballots, which can be forged and new security supervision of voting. The open border progressives will cheat the election process, one way or another. Learn the facts, not rhetoric or lies from the Leftists. Join the TEA PARTY to stop the erosion of American peoples Sovereign rights, its common language.

The TEA PARTY lawmakers will insure NO IMMIGRATION REFORM, which is just another term for AMNESTY. Any Path to citizenship, under whatever name, adds millions of family members through Chain Migration. Texas has just killed any policy of Sanctuary Cities within its territory and so should other States replicate. Even the Dream Act would mean another form of Amnesty, including Chain Migration.

The Florida election law bills, HB 1355 and SB 2086, also make it virtually impossible for a new political party to place a presidential nominee on the November ballot. And the bills tell candidates for all office that they cannot file in a primary if they have changed parties in the preceding year. Both of these changes violate either the Florida Constitution or the U.S. Constitution.

Since Florida is a closed primary state, I am changing my party affliation from NPA to Republican so I can vote for Trump or Palin (depending on which is on the ballot) in the primary.
It is not voter fraud, it is a legal way to get whom I want Obama to run against on the ballot.
The republicans have done this in closed primary states as a favorite past time.
SC is an open primary state and republicans voting across party lines for Alvin Green is how Alvin Green won the democratic primary in SC.

Next thing you know Florida will change its law stating you can not change your party affliation.